Abused
by mushimio92
Summary: After Roy left for the north; he returns back with the victory of Shamballa. However what he does not know that during his absence, his subordinates went under the rule of a sinister man and His precious woman may be scarred forever.
1. consequences

"Where did Alphonse and Edward go?" the first words that he heard after landing to the ground was both a heart ache and a relief; Roy mustang gazed into her eyes and answered with a defeated tone. "They are both gone." From her face; it was certain that she was ask further however she did not pursue an answer which was weird for her; the reason though was clear when he felt a tap on his shoulders.

"Roy Mustang! Who asked you to be here?" Roy spun around quickly and saluted when he realized that the source of the voice came from a higher ranking officer that he had never seen before; there was no need to know any way, in the military just looking at their shoulders and the badges they carry on their chest is enough to know whether you are meant to speak in his presence of not. In this case; he waited for the person to continue.

A person bounced to Roy's side; from the corners of his eyes he caught a glimpse of short Reddish brown hair, he knew who it was and sure enough the voice tallied with the person. "General Marcon Gran! He was here in order to assist us in fighting these amours." Usually when you saluted higher personnel, there was no need to call out the full name. Breda must have said it so as to allow him to know who this person was. If Roy heard properly; this general had a growl in his tone as he spoke the next few words, "I understand that, however someone had better tell me about this beforehand." Roy was sure he would add 'or else' but he didn't. The general left the scene to view the damage; and Roy placed his hands down. Havoc had arrived next to Roy; he had a hand on his shoulders, in an undertone he spoke, "That person is our immediate superior after you left to the north, and he is quite an asshole really." Roy looked at Havoc; he winked at the colonel and gave a hearty pat before shouting to some rookies nearby 'clear this place up'. Breda and Havoc left the used-to-be-colonel standing with the only soldier left, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

She peered at him uneasily; it had been six months since he had abandoned his subordinates to head to the northern side to become a mere guard, she held him with some grudge ever since however they seemed to have disappear just as quick, now he was there before her. She wonders if he had been eating well and taking care of himself enough. Roy caught her gaze and gave a little grin; she returned it with a subtle smile.

"Sir…" she started but was waved down by Roy; he shook his head "I am not your superior any longer, so don't call me that." Feeling that he should be a little bit more proper, he saluted at her "Nice to see you again, First Lieutenant Hawkeye." It was at this moment that Riza wished she could shoot him; she would never be used to him in a position below her. And after he had disappeared from their side a lot of things had changed; painful and difficult. She forced some unwanted flashes of memories to the back of her brain, "At ease." To others, it may seem that this formality was normal but to the both of them, it felt weird. However before Riza could speak more, a loud bark was heard.

"You, woman!" Roy thought he saw Riza face turn pale by the sound of that voice; but the next moment it was gone. The both of them turned around only to see the 'asshole' general approaching them; Roy swore that even his mustache was jumping in anger. What did they do now to incur his wrath? Roy look sideways at the lieutenant who was muttering something to herself which he could not hear, but he was good at lip reading; she said oh no. The words sent weird signals down his spine and into his brain; he had never in his life so far heard her say anything of this sort before. It sounded like a dread.

"Sir, you should have stayed here with us, we needed you here." Roy who was pondering about the dread; took another great stomp in his heart. The lieutenant spoke under her breathe; loud enough for Roy to hear. Her expression could not be read; however her tone was indignant and sad. It felt as though her sentence meant something more; but their short telepathic message was cut short when the general was right had arrived next to them.

"Woman, go and help the others gather samples now. I want a full report by 2pm, do you hear?" he was obviously speaking to her; Riza saluted "Yes, sir." Her 'sir' seemed to be mixed with dislike and distaste; in a way that only Roy could hear. Besides that it was already 1.20pm now, he wants her to rush a report out that soon? He knows from the bottom of his heart that the lieutenant was capable to rushing in work with good quality however even Roy himself wouldn't give the deadline that soon, plus did that general call her a woman? Roy had every intention to question all of the above but he was of no position to do so; soon he was also addressed, "Mustang, I want to speak to you."

The lieutenant refused to look at the Roy as they parted; though Roy noticed something white around her neck; _Bandage? _She was hurt! He wanted to ask her about everything but the general blocked his path; both literally and in words; he stood in front of Roy, the latter lowered his head slightly. "You noticed didn't you? The injury on that woman's neck?" without waiting for his reply, he continued "I did that to her last night."

Roy lifted his head and looked into the general eyes' who seemed satisfied with himself; however it was not like a normal person to do such abuse to another human being without reason, he decided to find out for himself the reason. Roy forced a smile to show on his face though each of his muscles felt like punching himself in the gut for doing so. "May I know why?" he asked the general in a relaxed as possible tone he could ever manage.

The general laughed heartily seeing that the Mustang seemed to have not much reaction to his acts; _so the rumors in central were not true, that woman is nothing to him. _He placed an arm around Roy's shoulders as though he was a buddy; Roy nearly spat in anger but he kept it down.

"You see, I heard that when you are in command before" he emphasized the last word, "She was not treating you or her colleagues with respect, it was also not a woman's place in the military either." The general said seriously and nodded at the same time, Roy felt the cloth between his fingers tightening; What did he meant by not a woman's place in the military, she had every right to be in here. She was a good sniper and had been through the hell of war before. So how come he would say that…? Then it hit him in the back, this person is a sexist.

Roy forced a grin to appear and tried his best to nod along with the general however it was a curt nod instead. "She is a good soldier." Was what he said between slight rage.

The general snorted and patted his back or slapped whichever is harder; "Ha! She is not worth to be a soldier either, she entered the room when I was not around and rebuts my every word. Is that your definition of good?" The colonel clenched his fist; she was always allowed to do so before because he allowed her to; and if she was rebutting every word that can only mean the general was not listening or doing things right. "So what do you do if she disobeys your order?" the word Disobey was only used just to make the general happy, it made as though she was really at fault which was sure it wasn't however Roy needed to know more about his abuses; no matter how much he was uncertain he may not like it.

At that moment though, the two heard footsteps from behind. They both turned; Roy felt his heart almost tore when he saw that it was her. She saluted to the both of them; "Sir, the report." She said and passed the papers to the general; he pulled it away from her and read the headings, "Tsk, the heading is not written in. You can't even do that right?" he said and dropped the papers to the ground, some loose papers fluttered away in the wind. The heading was supposed to be filled in by the commander in charge therefore she left it blank however logic doesn't work with him; Riza could only look on as her hard work drifted in the wind, the bruise on her elbow taught her not to chase after them. She stood before them waiting for the general to speak; and indeed he spoke. Seeing that Roy was there, the setting was just perfect.

"Woman, I want a new report about that incident an hour from now on my desk. And…" the general smirked as he scanned the fallen paper on the ground, "I want this report too; a record of your incompetency, I guess" Riza peered at the fallen papers; some of them was blown into the trees and a few pages in the pond nearby. In one word 'scattered'. She looked back at the general; she wanted to say something however the once deep cut on her palms reminded her not to rebut. "Yes, sir." She replied; during this whole time she treated as though Roy was not there, she walked past him and just where his feet was was the first page of the report. She bent down and picked it up.

Roy could feel anger emerging even from his bones; he watched as the lieutenant left his sides looking for stray papers. He felt as though his whole being could have shattered into many pieces; Roy had never seen her looked defeated and bullied. The general who was watching on grinned; he tapped on Roy's shoulder. Roy wanted with all his might not to answer the asshole taps but he could not, not now. Roy glared at the general who did not seem to notice, "This is how I will treat her even without reason." he took big strides to the lieutenant side and pulled her up by her arms; without caring about the half healed burnt wound under the sleeves. He grasped her arm tightly; Riza could have cried out but she did not. Please _Colonel don't see this; Go away… _She could still see him from the corners of her eyes and watched as his face changed to white as the hands she had suffered in, hit the sides of her face; more painful than before.

Almost immediately her vision became dark then clears again; she fell to the ground when the grasp on her arm had released. _Do not do things when you are not told, never think yourself equal to a male. A woman will always be a woman. _

"Lieutenant!" Riza heard him calling her, vaguely she saw him running towards her direction.

Then everything became that dark and so still.

**Hi! It is me again! I thought I should try out this story that I have been thinking about for a pretty long time already. **

**I hope it be good, will try to finish it even though school is starting on Monday. Because I so so love FMAB and FMA! Especially Roy and Riza. **

**Forgive my weak language and grammar errors! **

**And I seriously want reviews! **

**Thank you for reading chapter 1 once again!**


	2. Threats and the Unspoken

_She understood what was going to happen; after all they hadn't known each other for this long for nothing. He was guilty and guilt pushed him this far; to lose an eye and his will to perform flame alchemy. She was his loyal subordinate; his friend and possibly more than that, and it was more painful to see him hurt; mentally. _

_That night was a very windy one; she returned from the store down the street to buy some fruit tart for him to enjoy, seeing that he had been trapped unwilling within the walls of his home; unable to move due to his injuries, she knew that this would be good enough to cheer him up. _

_She entered the house which was noiseless; the fruit tart was left on the table as she went upstairs to get him. It was at his door where she heard voices from beyond it; an old man was speaking agitatedly positively growling at his listener. She could not interrupt them; it was not right to eavesdrop either so she was about to leave when she heard the old man screaming "What about my granddaughter?" She had only one grandfather; her mother's father- a person she wasn't very close with that shared a blood bond with her. After the outburst; he began to speak in a tone as though he was very tired. "I will apologize to her personally, I promise." A moment of silence…_

_The door opened so suddenly; it was sure she could not hide herself in time. And true enough; the old man was standing at the door with his mouth wide open- not expecting her to return so soon. She saluted to him since he was the head of parliament; he waved it down and pushed her inside the room not hearing to any resistance. She stood there between her grandfather and him; it took a very long time before one of them decided to speak. "Tell her, what you told me earlier." She had never heard her grandfather speak this icy cold, what could have happened? She looked to him for answers; the man who was propped up on the bed spoke slowly, "I am leaving for the north; to become a normal soldier." _

_The words hit her heart; as though an arrow went through it. It was a horrible feeling; she stared into his dark and piercing eyes which were telling her that he wasn't fooling around or cracking a very un-funny joke. Her grandfather said in the harshest tone ever "So you are leaving her and your subordinates behind? How can you make such a decision like this? What about Ri…" She glared at her grandfather and cut into his words; "Please don't continue, Gran." She implored desperately; however the old man carried on regardless "Riza?" he emphasized heavily. He looked at her but she tried to look above his shoulders; She did not know how to face him, in her heart she knew that he would make a decision such as this but another part of her is wishing that he wouldn't go this far._

"_Answer me, Roy. What are you going to do about her?" This was when she had to interrupt again; she stood in between the two men and set her gaze on her grandfather. "Gran, please don't talk further, this is alright. I already knew his decisions a long time ago and I accept it as his subordinate." She stated firmly though the last few words may have been a lie however she must settle this matter herself. "You silly girl; I am trying to get you a future…" She shook her head though slightly blushed that she was called a girl. She placed her cold hand over her grandfather's; "Can you leave the both of us alone?" The old man wanted to speak more but that face she was having over her face convinced him that he should retreat for now. Gran closed the door behind him all the way muttering under his breath "The silly and the dumb." _

_They were finally left alone; she turned to the patient on the bed. Their eyes caught each other for a brief moment and left; "So do you really want to go?" she asked; as calmly and resolute as she could. The answer she got was exactly how she imagined it. She breathed slowly, "Okay, but I have a small request. Is that alright with you?" those honey colored eyes seemed to have died but they were still alive, he nodded in agreement. _

_The man wanted to say something more; but was stopped by her words. "I know what you are going to say, so just don't say it." She had to be brave; she couldn't succumb to such weakness not now, not here at least. Mustering all her courage, she gave a false smile; "I bought some fruit tart for you, they are down stairs on the table." The man was about to remove his blankets in order to move to where his food was when, she piped up; "It is okay, I will get it for you. You stay here" with those words, she rushed out of the room. Her feelings were mixed; it was aching and it was crying. It was also relieved. She paused at the top of the stairs; "Gran…" she called to the quiet old man sitting on the table who raised his head a little when he heard her voice. She approached his side; "Don't worry about me" she said simply; the old man had to obey her wishes. _

_She had not much intention to return to his room; feeling sick in her gut. Her grandfather took her place to deliver the fruit tarts upstairs. However when the man left her view; she grabbed her sling bag and dashed out of the house. _

_No matter how cold the wind was out there; it can never be as cold as how she was feeling now. _

/-/-/-/-/

She was thinking about the cold; when a blanket of warmness covered her body. The change in temperature woke her up; she was dreaming all this while, there was no house and there was no wind. She blinked a couple of times; her vision clearing up slowly. Her head felt heavy; did she catch a cold from somewhere? It felt as though, someone had placed lead in her head, focusing was a problem, though nonetheless her hearing was as good as ever.

"She is awake!" The sound of that name brought her back from giddy land a little, a tall man approached her, she could see his dark hair and the familiar smell of his cologne is enough for her to tell who that person was.

She felt her hair being brushed aside gently, a hand with gloves was patting her head. "Lieutenant, are you feeling alright?" His head was quite near hers; the blur had disappeared. She was indeed looking into those dark eyes she knew too well; "Sir…" her voice was so crackly; as though she had been ill with a sore throat for many days. He smiled at her; "I am not a sir anymore, so just call me by name; won't you?" She rubbed her eyes slowly; she knew very well that he would always a position higher than her; there was no way she was dropping formalities with a person she knew for this long.

"That is not possible; the lieutenant will never call you by name!" a person laughed from behind him; that voice and tone was of the second lieutenant. "You have been smoking again…" she whispered- or tried to. Sure enough the putrid smell of cigar reached her nose and everyone else's. The man with his famous orange hair and cannot-be-controlled-face appeared in her view; he grinned at her and half saluted. "Sorry about the smell though." She pulled off a smile, a request to her facial muscles which felt as though they were badly stung. Stung is a good word- she was indeed stung by a vicious man, slapped for no apparent reason; the memories floated to her being. "Where is General Gran?" her words were able to send the grins off the two men faces running into the distance. She looked at Roy suspiciously; He was the one who saved her and probably the person who sent her to the hospital. Could he have done something to the general?

Noticing the questioning look on his lieutenant face, he spoke quickly. "That person is fine; I didn't burn him into crisp though." It was obvious enough that he wanted so much to burn him up so badly that even his own mirror wouldn't recognizing him however his first thoughts was to get the lieutenant to a doctor, everything else did not matter.

She heaved a sigh of relief; He had not done anything reckless; _Thank goodness. _Second lieutenant Havoc settled into the chair; and Roy followed suit. He sat in the chair closest to her; Riza gave herself a few minutes to examine her own body properly. The scars, wounds and cuts were healing properly; the red marks on her neck should be receding soon; everything seemed to be fine except the pain in her head. She placed her hands on the most recent burn scars on her arm, a few unwanted memories flashed past through her mind. _The reason for these; I need to tell someone as soon as possible. _She gazed into his eyes; but whatever she tried to say was stopped by an unprompted timing.

The door slide open violently; it felt as though a monster was entering into their room. It was the hands at the door which made Riza cringe; and the rest of the general rejoined with his hands. He stepped in and slides the door close; a darkened feeling that she was trapped in a small room with that person rose steadily within her.

The general cold eyes glare without blinking at the lieutenant resting on the bed; Riza recoiled slightly. The atmosphere was tensed; Roy and Havoc and jumped from their seats to salute him but he gave no impression that he wanted to acknowledge the two. He continued to glare menacingly at her; it was those eyes that she saw and what they were looking at that made the chills run down her spine.

"_You saw those papers I left on the table; didn't you?"_

"_No, sir, I did not." _

"You little slut; lying through your teeth again."

"With all due respect, sir, I had not seen any papers left on the table."

"My, I wonder if your previous superior had any idea that you were such a great liar. Maybe he is too stupid to notice your impudence…"

"He isn't stupid! And you are the one who had been lying all this while!"

"You will suffer for your rudeness, woman. Come to my room later."

The same menacing stare he gave her at that moment was exactly the same as now. She had received her punishment for talking back to the general which was boiling water poured over the skin of her arms; however that was not the reason for her to be worried or scared about, she had to tell someone about what she had seen.

Though it was just a simple fear injecting sentence was enough to kick her intentions to the depths of the sea; "I will kill everyone who knows about the contents of the papers; if your colleagues hear even a single word about it, I swear they would not live to the next day. And if Roy Mustang hears about it…you can be sure he will die within the next few minutes." He had pinned her to the wall when he whispers such cold threats into her ears and more importantly into her soul. Her skull had numbed due to both his crush on her windpipe and the deep fear of losing them. Her friends and him; she was released from his grasp seconds later; it was obvious that he had saw her most delicate and important fears. For he went away laughing in delight; all the way…calling her a pathetic rag.

Presently; the general had taken notice of the other two soldiers in the same room as he was; he merely muttered- at ease- beneath his breath; there was no at ease from this man. He gave a hearty slap on Mustang back and shoves havoc aside, he approached the lieutenant. Riza caught Roy's worried gaze however she glance back with a transparent message- don't do anything-.

"Come back to work tomorrow, and drop this sickening act." He spat with a poisonous tongue.

"Yes, sir." She replied without hesitating; which caused Roy to gape at her incredulously. He was about to speak when he was given a painful jab in the ribs by Havoc- requesting painfully for him not to speak.

The general left the room soon after; leaving Roy, Havoc and Riza looking awkwardly at each other.

"Why did you say yes?" asked Roy impatiently

"Because I can't say No." replied Riza fairly calmly.

"But you are ill and injured, you can't possibly return to work in this state." Injected in by havoc.

"You heard the general, it was an order." Riza spoke though this time softer.

"An order like that; you don't have to obey!" this time Roy seemed to have the rage up slightly; he was glaring at his lieutenant hoping that his words could make her stay in the hospital.

"Sir, you know better than me that I can't refuse an order!" Riza sighs; there was no way she can ever call Roy by his name. It just comes to her mouth so easily…

"He is hurting you all this while; why won't you stop him? You can shoot him…" the last few words was wrong, Roy could tell; his lieutenant had shot a warning glare. But he had to continue; "You can shoot him." He emphasized.

A moment of silence.

"Do you really think I would scoop that low? Sir?" her voice was trembling slightly. She refused to look at either of them; she kept her gaze on the edge of her blankets.

"But he had hurt you, very badly. I can't believe you are letting him do it!" Roy rebutted her, and the wrong move made her for the first time; truly irritated at Roy.

"You have hurt me too; but I let you go didn't I?"

"That is different!"

"It is NOT! I am doing what he says for the sake of others."

"Erm…excuse me, what are you guys talking about here?" Havoc butted into the conversation unwittingly.

"Are you hiding things from us?" Roy questioned her seriously ignoring Havoc; there was something wrong within her own sentences; why would she do this for the sake of others? It was not like her to say such a thing; the truth…

"No. I am not." Riza ended simply…though…in her heart, it was bursting with slight joy, and he had understood her clues well.

"I am red, to prevent white." She said carefully and slowly; with this, Roy stood up and pulled Havoc along with him out to the corridor…

/-/-/-/-/

A few minutes later; Roy was strolling silently down the street with Havoc by his side; he did not answer to any of Havoc questions ever since leaving the hospital. In his mind; her words were clear as crystal; he understood the meaning very well… she is a prisoner to prevent deaths…that was her meaning. It didn't take him long to understand, after all, they had discussed about the red and the white before.

_Lieutenant, wait for me. I will figure it out; everything. _


	3. The embarrassment

_Everything was planned carefully and according to plan; they could not afford any mistakes within their movements. Beneath the dirt of Amestris; there used to be a society which was under the direct command of central city and of the Fuhrer. They exist in the dark and acts as messengers between the seen and unseen; they were also professionals in their true field of work. In a single word to describe it; Ninjas; however since the death of the fuhrer and the collapse of internal structure of Amestris, these Ninjas became nothing more than normal man carrying normal duties. _

_Some were unhappy with the changes made therefore these lost men regrouped themselves after a long while of stasis to re build the unheard society from scratch. With that; they had elected a leader among them to lead them in their newest mission, someone who is capable to infiltrating central city without being spotted or suspected. And yes; their deception was perfect until one night when everything they had been planning was exposed to a certain public. The cause and consequences were dutifully punished accordingly; but anxiety still existed in the group…_

"_Tell me; How on earth can you be so careless?" he pounded the metal door with a heavy fist, looking restlessly upon a kneeling masked man in front of him. The predator growls in his speech and spat on the floor angrily, "Our plan is perfect; you of all people should be able to understand that failure of any kind is not acceptable." He continued on; positively circling his prey. He knows that he was safe; no one knew how the others looked like. They were carefully not to reveal too much about themselves, they were a group in times of strength but truthfully, they were fair weathered team mates. One for their own survival. That was the rule of their beloved society; this careless person could perish right here and now, but no, not just yet. _

_The kneeling man took a gasping breathe and muttered under his own; "Please don't worry, your sire. I will take responsibility for my carelessness and make sure that the plan would never be leaked out." The pitiful man bowed low and kissed the ground after speaking, between the two men there was several minutes of silence before the predator lowered his guard and approached the kneeling man. "Rise, you have made a grave mistake and will never be forgiven however you have something we need therefore you shall live for now. Make sure that the secret will only just be so, or else." The senior whispered and turned away to a door at the far end, he pulled open the door and disappeared beyond the depth. _

_The kneeling man did not rise for he knew that the senior was testing him; sure enough it was only one hour later before he heard the door close with a soft snap. He stood unsteadily and rubbed his knees; he had received punishment; a death sentence and the question of doubt. The man kicked the nearby chair in plain frustration; he had failed the Grandsire and his instructions. He closed his eyes for a while and breathed in stale air that made him cough a little; he nodded slowly to himself and began to limp to the only exit. _

_SHe is going to pay for his own actions dearly. The man grinned silently and reached for the last handle; time to play a game of mouse and mouse trap. _

0o0o0o0o0o

She stirred from her sleep unwillingly; she rubbed her eyes sleepily and found herself staring up to a patch of white ceiling. For a split second, she jerked up from the bed she was resting in; only to be jolt awake from the ache in her head. Her surroundings cleared up and the tense feelings she had slipped away, Riza heaved a sigh of relief and pat herself on her head. _Calm down, it was just a dream. _

Riza rubbed her head gently and yawned; she peered into the darkness around her; a few hours ago there had been two men standing here talking to her, Havoc and the colonel or used to be colonel. "I am so sorry, Sir…" she whispered to herself and pulled the bed sheets to her neck, there was so many things she wanted to tell him, after such a long time away from each other's company and to reunite under such circumstances. She shivered slightly and blew warm breathe into her hands, it was as cold as her heart was when she had to send those two away with a cryptic sentence; she could not be sure if the general was nearby and she knows if he ever found out that he had gotten the truth from her. They would be killed… Without wanting too, a single tear fell from the corners of her eyes, Riza wiped it away quickly. She was not a weakling; she had to tell him as fast as she could to prevent a tragedy from occurring; in any way possible even if it means being put away forever...

"You know, it took me a while to find out when you meant…" Riza nearly shouted at the voice which had rang out in the room, she took a quick glance at the door and the person who came through it. The scar on her arms seemed to have burned up quickly, and the painful sting that was on her face returned rapidly, she glared at the man who entered her room; "General…" she said calmly.

"You are a really sly bitch" he spat as he came closer to the side of her bed, Riza cringed badly as a large palm tightened slowly around her neck, she kicked in bed sheets aside and with all her strength tried to push the general away from her but his grip was unrelenting and was slowly squeezing the breathe out of her. The general threw her across the room, her back hit the way and she slide to the floor coughing desperately. He stood in front of her with something that was shimmering from the moon light on his hands, a steel blade that belonged to a dagger. "You sought death even though I warned you, and after I finished you, it would be Mustang's turn…" Her eyes widened; "Leave him alone!"Were the only words that left her, she saw the door which was left opened. Mustering her strength and all, she rushed towards it; she had to tell him, in order to protect…

She stumbled forward, and the reasons were clear… Riza peered down, the blade she had saw earlier stuck out from her chest like a sore thumb. Streaks of her blood flowed from the wound, a tough arm held her from behind forcing her to kneel, and his face appeared over her shoulders. "Well well, looks like you will fall here." He cooed into her ears, she coughed a mouth full of blood. "Ah, just in time; Mustang is here." At the sound of his name; she peered up and there he was, the stature that she was so familiar with, and that messy dark hair. He was approaching them quickly with that look of concern on his face; "Colonel, Sir! Don't come here!" it was hard to speak, but she had too. The words came out painfully and every gasp that came after was torturous. She heard a click of the gun from her right, "Please No…" she heard herself begging, knowing what would come next. The gun was shot, a bullet flew and hit the target squarely in his chest, much tears and her heart that was tearing apart swarmed into her emotions, COLONEL!

She felt his hands touching her head, the gently and warm hands that she had felt before. He was gone forever and it was her fault…all her fault, she could have saved him. She saw the fallen colonel in front of her, his hands close to hers. She should have died in his place…

"Lieutenant?" a voice, she knew was calling her. Leading her forward, she was walking towards that voice… "Mm…" she heard herself, her own voice, wasn't she dead…?

"Lieutenant, are you alright?"

She woke slowly, head feeling heavy and all. Her eyes flickered open; to her relieve and surprise, she was looking up and into a pair of dark eyes. Her jaw fell open, "Colonel…?"

"You scared me, I thought you were in pain…" he spoke gently and she felt his fingers wiping off the tears that had slide down her face. The fast beating heart of hers relaxed its tensed muscles, she took another look around in the room, and there was no general, no askew mess. Just the colonel and her, he glanced at her and smiled kindly. "You look much better today." The lieutenant who had been stunned a couple of seconds before frowned slightly, she was warm in the cheeks; flushed would be a much better word. It was a nightmare, the nightmare that made all the blood in the body pumping so quickly. She had indeed been through pain, as she returned the glance to the colonel her line of sight fell onto the small clock next to her bed.

"Sir, it is already 9am!" She shouted in shock and began to push the bed sheets away, she was so late, the general would be mad; she was searching for her slippers when she felt his hand on her shoulders. "Relax; you need not head to work today." He said softly and pushed her back into bed.

"What do you mean I do not need to work today?" Riza asked carefully, the orders of the general was clear yesterday, to return to work without fail; is the colonel trying to get her punished?

"Ah, apologies, I mean you need not to work for him today, instead you would be working with me." The colonel ended with a small smile, there was an awkward silence between them. And all of the sudden, a slipper was thrown and hit the forehead of the used-to-be-colonel.

"What was that for?" he shouted adamantly and gazed at the lieutenant, who was the culprit, struggling to stand properly.

"Don't joke around colonel, please." She said short and made her way unsteadily to the bathroom. Roy sighed and placed a hand on her waist, "Let me help you." But the lieutenant shifted his hand away. "You would be a much better help, if you could get a car here." She glared at him as though she had a gun hidden somewhere preparing to shoot.

"Lieutenant, I am not kidding, you are working with me today." The sincerity of that voice made the lieutenant stop in her tracks, she turned her head around and looked at the colonel curiously, the glare had slide off her face unknowingly. Roy chuckled slightly and supported her to the door of the bathroom, "The gate must be destroyed over at this end, and I am doing it today, I requested some people to help me. And you are coming with me."

Riza had her fingers on the door knob, "Does the general know about this arrangement?" she glanced at the man, who grinned back, "Yes."

She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her, Riza turned the tap to the left and cold water flowed out slowly, she splashed some water on her own face and took a look at her reflection in the mirror. It was strange, her spirit had seemed to have lifted rapidly, "Thank you…" she did not mention the name, but it was obvious; who it was for.

Right outside the door, the colonel was leaning against the piece of the wall next to the door to the bath room, he placed a hand on his chin and gave a small smile, this would cheer her up and make her feel much better today. It was no easy feat getting the general to agree to his request, sadly the way he agreed to it was when Roy had no choice but to tell him that the lieutenant would be useless to the general in the office and would perform better out in the field. He did not mean it of course, but every second near to the general was nothing more than a torture. Roy was no sexist, every solider no matter of the gender was worth protecting as long as they had the potential to sacrifice for the country. The lieutenant is one of such solider, but…the general would never stop hurting her, he had to keep her close to him and away from that mad man.

"Colonel?" he snapped awake at the familiar tone, she looked at the dazed man and smiled gently. An action that caused Roy to blush uncontrollably, it was not usual for the lieutenant to smile, the chances of such was as rare as him doing his work properly.

"Are you ready?" he asked her, Riza blinked a couple of times and looked down, a cold breeze in between her legs told her that she had forgotten something. "Is something wrong?" he asked at the sudden quietness of the lieutenant, the color in her face raised uncontrollably. The colonel looked down and the color if his face too, turned bright red. "Lieutenant, your…" he began.

"Look away!" she shouted and pushed the colonel face away; she rushed into the bathroom again and locked the door quickly, leaving the colonel warm all over his body.

Riza found what she was looking for, hanging from the towel bar. She wore it fairly quickly and felt warmer in her face than ever. How could she have forgotten about it? That was too silly and the colonel saw it too.

Meanwhile Roy had sat himself on the chair nearby, his heart still beating rather fast from what he saw, that was one embarrassing situation. And the look on the lieutenant face was precious, he laughed to himself, a hand over his mouth. Still, he did not know that the lieutenant had such nice pair of legs since it was always covered by thick pants. He had always wished he could have a glimpse at those legs before and turns out that she had forgot to wear her pants out, and he had another pleasant surprise too. He laughed out, the lieutenant wear lacy underwear! "Laces!" the giggles were insuppressible.

All of the sudden, another slipper hit the sides of his head painfully. "Colonel, can't you say any louder? I believe the other patients in the next block did not hear you!"

He turned to the source of the voice and noticed how red her face was. "Lieutenant…ahhhahahaha" all the while his hands on his stomach trying to stop the aches panging it.

"I said shut up!" she said bitterly, and stalked off.

The colonel stopped quickly, and watched as the lieutenant went to pack her things.

It is just like before, almost just like before.


	4. The gate

"Colonel!"

"Colonel, over here!"

They have entered the lost city under Amestris, Roy and lieutenant Riza Hawkeye thread their way carefully through the mountain of rubble and stone bricks, three days ago; strange flying 'birds' with mechanical engines flew out of this place carrying hundreds of armored soldiers and laid a siege on Central Amestris. They flew out from a large golden gate, or so as described by the Elric brothers, sadly when the siege ended, the two boys too went over to the other side. The older Elric ordered him to destroy the gate from this side while they will put an end of the gate on the other side, but, if he does; the boys would never be able to return to this world any longer. Is that what they really wanted? To leave their home town, where they had adventures and journeys together; what about the people who cared about them? Are they able to just leave it all here?

The colonel set foot on a clearing without rocks and dust; he spun around and extended an arm to the lieutenant who was threading behind him. They exchanged glances with each other and she accepted his offer without much question, the two soldiers made their way to a group of other military men who was also doing on-site research.

"Colonel! Over here, over here!" He heard the voice again, it sounded familiar. He received a nudge on the elbow which traced back to the lieutenant who directed his gaze to a small campfire over to the far right, where a small figure was, and he seemed to be waving; in good spirits in their direction.

Roy squinted and when he realized who it was, he sprinted towards the young solider, the lieutenant followed hurriedly behind him, she knew who it was. And Roy addressed him when he was close enough, "Fuery Kain!" True enough, the subordinate whom he had not met in a year grinned joyfully, "You remembered me, it has been such a long time, how are you?" The lieutenant had just finally caught up to him; she gave Kain a swift smile and addressed Roy, "Colonel, it is time to destroy the gate." The colonel looked at the young solider whom he once called his pawn pieces of his favorite chess game, he seemed to have shrunk quite a lot, and carries many injuries. Roy gaze travelled down to Kain's arm when he noticed it was bandaged, "What happened to your arm?"

Kain threw him a frightened look, but shook it off soon after, "It is nothing much, just a scratch…" but his voice trailed away at the glare Roy was giving him. "Is it the general?" Roy asked casually, even though Kain's expression and the similar injury which was carried by the lieutenant gave away the answer. Kain peered around them, and when noticing that no one else would hear about it, he nodded subtlety. A frown formed upon Roy's forehead, he was about to say something when kain cut into his thoughts, "Colonel, please, it is really time to destroy that gate." He glanced at kain and back to the lieutenant, who was staring into another direction; it was obvious that he did not want to talk about it. Roy gave a curt nod; "I understand" he allowed the lieutenant to show him the way, but he kept a corner of his eyes on kain. _What did that mad man do to all of them, they were strong individual soldiers I had cared about but now, they are all injured and weakened…_

"Colonel, here it is." They had been walking for a while now; kain was already out of sight. He pulled away from his thoughts, and focused on his surroundings. They are in the middle of a wide open area, and right in front, it was a magnificent golden gate. The entry to another world, Roy thought quietly to himself. He etched closer to the edge of the gate and peered in, it was a colorful swirl and a strong force that seemed as though it was pulling him in. Roy closed his eyes and backed away, he looked sideways at the lieutenant who was studying the engravings around the gate. She too, backed away and came to his side, "Colonel, please go ahead." Roy tugged his white gloves and went as close as he could to the portal, "Edward and Alphonse Elric, our wishes will always be with you. We will see each other someday, take care." He whispered into the gate, he blinked once, "SNAP" red orange bots of flame ignited from his gloves, it made contact with the gate. The structure began to spark, Roy backed away and he came to Riza side and grabbed her hands; he pulled her away quickly. He heard a sizzle as they jumped behind some solid looking rock rubble. And when they did, flame explosions echoed all around them. Roy covered her ears and used his body to shield her.

"Colonel! We have to run now!" she shouted over the flames, Roy nodded and pointed to an exit where they are going to run to. Another explosion erupted behind them, and that was a sign to move. The two, ran zig zag through the falling rubble with the ground was shaking vigorously it was hard to keep balance. Roy held on to her hand as they moved quickly through the collapsing city. His flame must have been too strong, Roy dodged a falling rock and went through the passage way with the lieutenant with him, and they did not stop running. And they saw it, the exit, as they run through it; the passage behind them began to fall.

They had returned to where the men had set up camp, some of them stood up in order to see what was wrong and others peered in their direction. "The cave is going to collapse! Evacuate NOW!" Roy shouted over the din, some of the men understood the message and scrabbled from the exit in an orderly manner.

But that was when, someone shouted over the noise and screams; "Man down here!" Roy peered in that direction quickly and turned back to the lady in front of him, he made the decision very very quickly.

"Okay, lieutenant, go up with the rest of them." He gave an order to a higher ranking officer, but they should not really bother now, it does not matter however he did notice the distain on her face. "I need save that person, so you have to go first okay?"

"Colonel, I can come with you…"

"No, it is too dangerous. Go NOW!" he shouted and he released her hands; now parts of the city was caving in and some of the pillars were falling. He turned his back on her and started sprinting in that direction where the man who had fallen was.

"Col..Colonel!" She called, but the military men were pushing her backwards out of the lost city.

Roy thread back through the rubble when he saw a solider beckoning him over, he managed to reach him without problem, when he arrived at his side, the man could only talk with think hurried breath, "Lieutenant, Kain. He is still in there." Roy took a while to figure out, since when did kain become a lieutenant?

But that was not to think now, he instructed the young man to leave with his troops, and when he was out of sight, he began his descent, the rubble were falling even faster and sandy putrid dust fell from the ceiling. "Kain! Kain where are you?" he called over the chaos. He prayed that his young subordinate is still somewhere alive.

"Kain! Kain! Fuery Kain!" he shouted, no answer, his feet was on fire, and the bubbling feeling in his gut began to rise. Where could he be? Between his worries, he heard someone calling in the distance away. It was no imagination, Roy nearly fell on his way towards to the direction of the voice, and he saw him trapped under pieces of wood and moderate sized rubble.

"Kain, are you alright? Can you move?" The young solider nodded wearily, how long have they been in here, how long more does it take for the city to collapse on them, they had no time, really no time at all.

Roy removed the rubble with slight difficulty and tried lifting the wooden planks up, but they were too heavy. He panted painfully hard; he tried a second time when the first wooden plank was carried away with a little bit more easily, his gaze landed on the second person who was helping him with the wood. The two exchanged glances, "What are you doing here? I thought I told you to run." The dark eyes stared at the almond colored ones, "it seemed that you needed my help." She replied simply, and the two lifted the second plank. They threw it to the sides, "you should have ran away, it is dangerous here." Riza shook her head, "I am fine, and lets' just get kain and get out of here before the whole city crush us into pancakes."

Roy slumped to the wall and Riza slid to the ground… they had managed to make it out before the passage way cave it, and kain too; thankfully had no serious injuries. The ambulance closed the doors and they turned a corner with high speed, Roy panted deeply and Riza breathing deeply, the two sat on the ground and stared blankly…

It was five to ten minutes later when Roy broke the silence, "I think we have to head back to central now, the general would want to hear a report on this event… it is going to be big trouble…" Riza looked up and blinked, "Yeah, it is not going to be pretty…"

Back in the office, news had travelled to the general's ears. "What! The lost city collapsed? How? Roy Mustang and his flame alchemy? ARGH, that's it, put down the phone now!" The general threw the talking device of the telephone on his desk and crunched back into his velvet chair. "This Mustang may be a very irritating fly that may need to be erased…soon"


	5. Chapter 5

"Lieutenant?"

The woman tensed up at the sound of the voice, in a fluid motion as though she was expecting a attack pushed the bottle of antiseptic and packets of bandages into the corner and threw her sweater over them. The knob turned and the door creaked open; the woman turned around quickly with panic written all over her face but when she saw who was behind the door, her expression relaxed. "It is just you." Her voice soft; filled with relief, she pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. The newcomer entered the pantry where she had taken refuge in and closed the door behind him, "Yes, it is just me. Are you alright?" his voice fell into a concerned whisper. The lieutenant turned away from him; Havoc moved closer and placed his hand on her left shoulder to which the lieutenant cringed; he let go quickly but at the same time adjusted himself so that he was facing her. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"

The burn marks could be seen clearly; they were small red marks and it was obvious that there was more than one that etched into her skin. "It isn't important." She replied with a small voice, "These are cigarette burn marks! I smoke, remember? What made you think I wouldn't recognize them when you tried to pass them off as insect bites?" Havoc injected in harshly, his face close to hers, she had a strange expression as though she was trying to hide but it was not working. The lieutenant looked away from his eyes, "I…" Havoc pulled away, he did not mean to force the answer out from her; but he needed the truth ever since the colonel…no, Roy mustang left for an unjustified vacation, and HE arrived into the picture, she had been acting strange and distant even if HE was not around; Havoc had not seen her smile, not even once. "What have the general done to you…?" Havoc pushed his question; he thought he saw her shiver slightly at the sound of his name. When she did not answer; he grabbed her right arm and shook it, "I need to know the truth, Hawkeye…" Even though her head was turned away, he saw it; a single drop of tear fell from her eyes. "Lieutenant…" Havoc had known her for a while now, not as long as Mustang but long enough to know that she was not a woman to shed tears easily. He raised his fingers and rubbed the tear stain from her cheeks, she turned slightly and glanced at Havoc, "I am sorry, but I can't…"

Havoc had to let it go, she was not going to let up, and her insistence lasted the rest of the day; they left the pantry earlier and he offered to get her a packet of ice to reduce the stinging sensation of the burn marks but as expected she refused. The lieutenant left the main room, leaving Havoc in thought on the black leather sofa. His eyebrows tightly knitted together; he was going to keep closer watch on the lieutenant and the general. "Roy Mustang… why…" the rest of his words drowned by his deep thoughts.

It did not take long to figure what had been happening behind closed doors, in the next couple of weeks; she returned with scars and bruises. And Havoc could only watch with an ache in his heart, he confronted her about his theory that the general was abusing her and she had admitted to it unwillingly. But when he tried to convince her to stand up against him, she refused again and again; and her reasons had been ambiguous.

It was months into the days of the general arrival; when he overheard a conversation between an angry Marcon and the lieutenant. He was right outside the oak doors when he heard her shout, in much pain as much as he could tell. Followed by a scoff and mumbled whispers; and another scream, more horrifying than the one before; Havoc burst into the room and what he saw never left his memory in the days that would come. "She needs a doctor." He heard himself shout over the room; General Marcon glanced at the newcomer and went back to the chair as though nothing had happened. He had the calmest tone even though there was a person bleeding profusely over the carpet; Havoc rushed towards her and drops next to her, 'Lieutenant! Hang in there!"

"Right. Take her away, and get someone to clean the carpet too." He said and spun his chair around to face the window behind him; ignoring Havoc fierce glare and the woman he despised; blood flowing down from her back staining her uniform maroon red.

The doors flung open and Havoc rushed the lieutenant to the medical centre three floors below; she was still conscious but was rather faint. She could hear his voice calling her, telling her to hang on. And she was indeed hanging on to her consciousness, what happened was a blur. She felt it make contact with her body, the vase that was always at that corner of the room; the vase that Roy…No, Colonel Mustang did not favor when he was here…it was then she heard Havoc say it, "I will tell Mustang about this, don't worry."

She felt as though she was ready to bounce up from the stretcher she was lying in, but every part of her was in pain even so, she could manage her words properly though gingerly, "Please…no, Don't say a word to him…pl..ease."

Havoc watched as the nurses wheeled the lieutenant into the emergency room; and when the door slammed close he slumped against the wall and down to the floor. Finally, he realized the reasons for the lieutenant insistence; she must have been threatened with Roy's life. And that if she ever spoke to anyone about the abuses, the general would hurt Mustang.

Ooooo

"Hello, General Marcon office." Havoc spoke to the receiver with a dead pan voice; as though he was a tortured voice recorder.

"Havoc? It is Roy here" Havoc swore that he could have dropped the phone in surprise. "Mustang?"

"I…did anything happen?" A stone dropped into havoc stomach, how could he have known… _he had called at the most curious timing, the lieutenant was injured and she was in the ward right now._

"Havoc, is Ri…no; lieutenant alright?" There was an impulse right there and then, Havoc had all the heart to tell him the entire monstrosity of the general, and that the lieutenant was in critical condition. But he remembered the look of her face when she begged him not to tell Roy; he could not tell him anything… "No" he answered with a cold tone that did not sound like him at all.

"That's good. Thanks" With that, the connection ended. Havoc threw the phone on the table in anger, and he slumped onto the general's chair; anger and frustration reeked through his soul.

_Days never went without pain or agony_

_She returned without qualms _

_With expression plain and neutral _

_Her companions' watches,_

Praying that their protector would return.


	6. Hanging point

Private Roy mustang found himself staring into the flames flickering in the fire place with deep thoughts, thoughts due to a particular dream that woke him up earlier. _A nightmare that hunted him for the past few months, scenes that we getting clearer every single time he falls asleep. King Bradley's son, Maes and the people of Ishval standing around him, 'why did we die?' they would ask him for hours until he could wake up, young selim crying continuously over King Bradley's lifeless body, Maes hugging his daughter with a sad expression on his face and the numerous amount of Ishvalans standing with their family and their people, the person and persons that he had murdered during the war. He had no answer for them, for weeks; they stood over him whispering; pouring their pain and agony into Mustang. He would wake up in the middle of coldness in shock, only to realize that it was the wind murmuring through the wooden house he lived in. All the souls that he could not save torture his soul…_

The fire wood cackled furiously and Roy blinked in slight shock, surprised that he was still standing over the fire place, the last of the flame extinguished leaving a trail of smoke rising from the sad dark wood, Roy threw his trembling fingers into his pocket and extracted a match box, it was a simple maroon colored one; there was nothing exquisite about its appearance however it was a precious item, Roy pulled out a match and started to light a small fire, how did it come to this; the flame alchemist then have to go to the extent of getting a fire started using a match stick instead of his famous snapping fingers.

Roy placed the small flame to new dry wood; the vivacious flame spread gently onto its new playground, lighting up the cabin and providing warmth. He laid back into the chair and heaved a deep breath, _Night mares that would not leave his being no matter how much he tried to take his mind off them; they were still there as though they were constant reminders of his failure. All that frustration and sadness under the dark eye patch he now wore, the reasons that he left Central, his team and her. Edward Elric, a side track of mischief and chaos; an alchemist as well as a friend disappeared leaving a mystery and his only younger brother who was in flesh, bone and blood, with no memories of their adventures in the east and central. Maybe if he had settled with his end quickly, was there a chance that he might be able to turn things around…? Could it be that he too was…his failure…_

Roy jumped up from his seat disturbed from his thoughts, Edward is not dead; he knows it, that boy must still be alive or otherwise… _he would probably in his dream too. _He walked towards the window and peered out, blankets and blankets of pure white snow greeted him. Scenery that he found peaceful and clean, there was no difference between here and Amestris, the only difference he felt was the presence of those. Roy glanced to his right where a table stood; and on the wooden walnut desk were letters scattered over the surface, each bearing the hand writing he knew so well. And it was these that caused the emptiness; he picked one from the top which was the most recent; with a heavy heart, he reads.

_To: Roy Mustang. _

_It has been five months, how have you been? _

_Nothing of much interest happened in the past few weeks _

_The team is concerned of your well being; hearing that you had taken ill last week; they seemed to be reassured after seeing your most recent letter. _

_Hope you are well, take care. _

_Riza Hawkeye _

It was just like her to keep her letters short and to the point, devoid of most personal feelings was a specialty of hers. The only hint of near personal was the part she kept in check how long he had left central and indeed it had been exactly five months. As though she had been keeping time; Roy placed the letter back into its envelope and walked away from it, _he was indeed ill last week; a severe cold unexpected from his freezing environment with fever lasting for days; usually back in his office days, he would try his best to keep that a secret from his company however he actually wrote truthfully in one of his letters prior to this that he was sick. What was he thinking, it was as though he was trying to score for pity points but there was nothing to score out here, he was the one who chose to live in solitude away from the town and city below, even further from the people he were close to. _

Roy smirked but drops the expression rather quickly, yes; he was the one who decided to leave everything behind him and only guilt followed him to his secluded home. Guilt that consumed him and his thoughts every single night when he rest in his bed, those ghostly persons in his dreams that hunts him with cries.

But yet, his nightmares became a different one the night before, the usual guilt did not appear and there were no words, as though he was sitting in a silent movie. He was walking down a familiar road in Central city next to a calm river, when he saw her standing in front of him; her dressing similar to the ones she wore when she sent him off in a train half a year ago. She appeared to be saying something, things that he could not hear. She refused to be close to him, standing several feet away. What bothered him the most was the fact that there were tears flowing down her face, it was an expression that he never saw her wear before. Something was very wrong, but no matter how much he tried running towards her, he never reached her. Roy woke up to hurried knocks on his door, only to realize that his arms were out stretched and in the air space above him, an action as though he was trying to reach someone.

He ditched his nightmare and panicked sweat aside, took quick stepped to the door. _Who would come up here, at the crack of dawn? _He pulled open the door letting accumulated snow fall to his feet, "I see you are very much well." said a voice and the person saying it; whom he had not seen for half a year appear in front of him.. "Grumman!"

"I need to speak to you; can we take the conversation inside?" Grumman said ignoring Roy's surprised tone, he let himself into the wooden house and Roy followed him. The older man stood over the desk full of letters, handwriting that he recognized as his grand daughters', he had a solemn expression. Roy lingered around his bed, _what did he do now? _Roy waited with battered breath, "Someone is trying to sabotage the council position." Grumman threw out his words plainly, his old wrinkled hands wringing each other nervously, Roy stared, Grumman knew that he was not going to be involved in central affairs any longer so what was he playing at, telling him news such as this?

Grumman observed the face Roy was making, a poker face as usual, he remembered the boy telling him that he was washing his hands off Amestris, and how he wished that Roy could actually stay out of the issue but it was not to be. The older placed an envelope on the table, it was a large brown one, 'This contains everything you need to know, I suggest that you burn this away when you are finished with it' he said calmly, he stride pass Roy without taking a look at him.

"Why?" Roy heard himself ask, Grumman paused and sighed deeply or rather helplessly. "Why you?" he replied coldly. The man spun around and met those dark eyes, "Marcon, even though we have no much evidence that he was involved in the recent assassination of seven council members, he was caught having contact with the assassinators but was released due to lack to support of evidence." Roy eyes narrowed, "General Marcon? The General who was brought to court?" He heard that name before, weeks before he left central, there was a huge commotion in central due to this particular assassination. And General Marcon was said to be involved.

"The very same" Grumman replied with a softer tone, and before Roy to ask further "The very same man who is in charge of your team this very moment after you left." Roy felt himself quake a little, "My team?"

"She is in danger, if he finds out the connection between her and me…"


	7. Matter

"Will you be alright?" Roy slowed to a stop and glanced at the lieutenant, and for the first time, he saw worry written all over her face.

"I did not think you would ask a question like that." he replied smoothly. The lieutenant did not speak; Roy took the lead and started to make his way down the corridor without looking at her.

The two personnel stride across the hall way and up two rounds of stairs before coming to a stop in front of two large wooden doors, they had returned from the site of the explosion earlier and now; he was being summoned to the general's main office. Roy placed his fingers over the cold door knobs but did not turn them when he felt the presence next to him walk away. He saw her back away; she stood with uncertainty to the edge of stairs "I will just wait here, until you come back." She addressed him. Roy smirked, "I will be alright, don't worry."

He turned away from her and the gears in the knob clicked slightly, "worry does not suit you." He said it with a voice only she could hear. Riza watched with much helplessness as the last of his hem disappeared through those doors, but it was hard not to worry, though they made back to headquarters with haste; the general was not very pleased and he had let out his rage to his subordinates. The reasons of his stormy mood was clear, to her too at the end, general Marcon had not approved the destruction of the gate, Roy received permission instead from the council, to which everyone knew Marcon did not see eye to eye with. The doors closed with an ominous tone.

Oooooo

**Hi! This is the next chapter, really short and simple; I will continue to update! Don't worry; I will finish what I started. ^^ As usual, comments and reviews appreciated! Special thanks to Rachel Ray Wolf and Kaze05 for reviewing this particular story and also my other stories, Thanks for the encouragement! **

**Cheers Mushimio ^^ **


	8. No where was safe

"Sir, you wanted to see me?" Roy states carefully, he entered his office two minutes ago and yet the person who ordered him here had basically ignored his presence.

The general spins around his chair slowly and faced the solider with a stern expression drawn upon his face. "You destroyed that gate." It was not a question, it was a statement. Roy peered in his direction calmly.

"Yes, sir. I did."Roy answered truthfully. The general twitched; "Who gave you the orders?" he could hear by his tone, a steadily angry one. Roy bowed slightly, "Edward Elric instructed the gate to be destroyed on this end."

The general slammed his palm heavily on his desk, causing the room to tremble once. "And you listened to a boy, whose appearance brought a group of uncontrolled armors that wreaked havoc in central?"

"Yes, sir." Roy answered without flinching, _he had never thought it was ed's fault that caused the chaos, the monster piloting the flying mechanism was the culprit. _

The general glared at his solider, knowing that Roy was not a person to cower under pressure; he softened his voice dangerously low. "I only instructed to you investigate that area, not to destroy it…now, who was it that gave you permission to destroy that gate?"

Roy did not hesitate with his words, "The Elric brothers."

Marcon flashed a nasty grin, "You are playing with my words, Mustang. I shall ask again, more specifically."

"Was it Grumman who gave you permission?" Roy peered at Marcon with a neutral expression. "No." he asserted firmly.

Outside, dark clouds loomed and rolled in quickly, the first streak of lightning hit the grounds, distance away.

General Marcon closed his eyes and opened them again; he glared at Roy who does the same. He folded his arms and licked his lips, finally he smiled; warmly.

"So, you destroyed the gate on your own permission, disregarding my orders."

The solider saluted respectfully, "I apologize for my actions, Sir. "

Marcon considered Roy for a second, before shaking his head slowly. "No, there is no need to be apologetic."

Roy raised an eye brow in suspicion, the general left his seat and approached him, he was so close that Roy could count the amount of eye lashes his superior had; which was not much, since he deduced the number before Marcon could speak.

"In fact, I want to promote you, Mustang." Roy believed he had heard him wrongly, "Sir?" he clarified.

Marcon pulled himself away from his solider, throwing him a nasty look before putting a hand on Roy's shoulder. "What do you about being a lieutenant…?" he offered 'kindly'

Roy felt his side shaking furiously, _in an office; there must not be more than two lieutenants. Havoc was one and the other was her…that can only mean… _"You are planning to demote a soldier, sir?"

The general chuckled; he grips Roy's shoulder painfully hard. "You are a clever man, who do you think I would demote then?"

His voice was cold and stiff when he answered the general, "I do not know, Sir." _Even though he already had a sinking feeling; who that person was going to be. _

The general nodded uncaringly, "How about the woman who you conveniently borrowed away?" Roy flinched slightly, and the general seemed to felt the exact same thing. He removed his hands from the solider and put a finger near his lips, he cast a gleaming nasty look before adding in his final words.

"Thanking about it, I would just remove her from her duties instead, what do you think?"

The disdain and hatred must have shown up on Roy's face, he clenched his fingers tightly together, an impulse to land a fist in the general's face riveted through his body. Even so, Roy forced himself from saying the most inappropriate words in his dictionary, rather he settled for a more neutral one.

"I do not know, Sir."

General Marcon slanted his eyes menacingly, he stride past the solider and opened the doors; he gestured Roy to follow him. Roy lifted his frozen cold foot from the ground and followed the general orders.

Roy half wished that he would not see her standing there, outside the door waiting for him to return. But of course, she was there. The lieutenant saluted to the general; whose actions he ignored completely.

The general did not bother to look at her, "You are demoted to 2nd lieutenant." Roy gaped, "And Mustang here will be promoted to 1st lieutenant, from tomorrow onwards." Riza kept the emotions of shock away and deep inside her, "Understood, Sir!" she replied stiffly.

Marcon spun around and came face to face to the solider he taunted earlier, "Keep your toes in line, or I will help you keep them" he cooed delicately before stalking away. The last of his hem disappeared past the corner; before the two soldiers regain their posture.

"Are you alright?" seeing that he had gone, Riza come forward to support the colonel who seemed to have lost some of his feelings in his legs. He felt her hold him steady, warm hands that he had not felt in quite a while; calmed his nerves down considerably.

"Havoc will be shocked for being demoted without reason…" Roy uttered out, surprising him was a small chuckle that came from Riza.

"You don't have to worry about Havoc, he would be very happy." Riza assured Roy, who stared back wondering why she said so.

"The general nearly always dictate work to Havoc since he did not want me to touch them. Havoc can have his work load decreased considerably." Roy removed himself from her supporting arms and leaned against the wall next to the doors.

He glanced to his right and then to his left, seeing that there was no one coming up; he turned back to Riza who was gazing at him curiously, "Now, Explain yourself; what you meant with those words at the hospital."

'_A white kimono is what the dead would wear and a red kimono was what a prisoner would wear. Therefore Red meant a prisoner who is trapped and white meant death, in ancient times, they were the two colors that most would never touch or even wear.'_

"_Lieutenant, why do you want me to read such a solemn book?" _

_The colonel was propped up on his bed, and the lieutenant was at his side; guarding him as he was recovering from king Bradley battle. She was reading a passage from inside a book, red and white. The colonel had yawned thrice throughout, and she had just whacked him painfully on the head because of his lack of attention. _

"_This book has a lot of meaningful stories, it is really interesting. You should really put some effort; at least flipping through it." _

_The colonel pursed his lips together; he took the book from her hands and continued from where she had stopped. _

'_Red to prevent white, the ultimate sacrifice, where nobles become prisoners to another country to stop bloodshed. A famous code during the ancient' _

_The colonel closed the book with a snap, to the chagrin of the lieutenant._

"_Ridicules; if they were true leaders, they would be able to find another way without being prisoners." _

Roy gave the lieutenant a stern look, insisting and also demanding that he wanted an answer from her, Riza looked at Roy and shook her head quickly. Even though it was clear that the both of them were thinking of the same piece of memory from a long time ago

"I cannot…" She answered factually, and the reason was clear, two seconds after she said it, the general came back charging up from the stairs. _He never truly left the premises, listening in to their conversation. Nowhere was safe… just like what he promised. _

"How long do you want to linger, get down here!"

Riza broke away from Roy, "Sorry…"


End file.
